1. Tell us about your family.

Troy and I live in Worthington, Ohio with our four children, ages 11, 10, 8, and 5. Three of our children are biological siblings who came to us through foster care, and we were blessed to adopt them. We're active in our community and our church, Life Church at Easton, where we serve together as young adult leaders and Troy serves on the Church Board. Having previously worked in our church as the Administrative Assistant to the Lead pastor, I now work from home as a travel advisor, and Troy is a Data Consultant for Cardinal Health. Our home is full of energy, laughter, and love as we navigate the wonderful chaos of raising four kids.

2. Tell us more about your heart for adoption.

My heart for adoption was shaped long before Troy and I became parents. I watched my parents adopt four of my siblings from foster care, and my uncle adopted three children as well. I saw firsthand how love creates family and how every child deserves to be chosen and cherished, regardless of how they come into your life. Troy and I always knew we wanted to build our family through adoption. When we became foster parents, we opened our home knowing this was how we were meant to become parents. We have cared for over 20 children over the years, and three of them became our forever family through adoption. Adoption isn't just how we became parents; it's part of who we are as a family. We believe family isn't about biology - it's about commitment, showing up every day, and creating a home where children feel safe, loved, and celebrated for exactly who they are. We're choosing to adopt again because we have more love to give and our family still has room to grow.

3. Tell us more about your adoption journey so far.

We're pursuing domestic infant adoption and are currently waiting to be matched with a birth mother. We're already homestudy approved and have begun fundraising and preparing for the new addition to our family. The timeline is uncertain - it could happen very soon or it could take longer - but once we're matched, we'll be able to bring our baby home shortly after birth. We chose domestic infant adoption because we want to welcome a newborn into our family and provide them with the same love and stability we've given our other children. We're ready and waiting for that call, knowing that when the right match happens, we need to be prepared to move quickly with the funds required to say "yes" without hesitation.

4.  Tell us more about the child you are adopting.

We're pursuing domestic infant adoption. While we have loved our role in foster care and our family would welcome 100 more children into our home, our children are desperately craving the stability that comes from a child who is part of our forever family from the very beginning. Foster care has been an incredible journey, but watching children leave our home to be reunited with their first families has been hard on our kids. They're ready for a sibling who will stay, who they can grow up with knowing they're together forever. We're working with an amazing agency that prioritizes birth mothers and provides lifelong support and counseling for them. These babies can come from a variety of backgrounds and with a variety of special needs. We've let them know that we're open to any race, and due to our experience in foster care and our own children's special needs, we're also open to a variety of potential needs in our new baby. We're prepared and equipped to provide whatever support and care our child needs.

Prayer Requests:

Our ultimate goal in this entire process is that God's glory would be showcased, and that remains our continual prayer. We know that God moves mountains and that He will provide the baby meant for our family, along with the finances and everything else needed to bring this child home. But above all, our prayer is that others would be able to see God's glory and His faithfulness through our journey - that people would know this adoption was only possible through Him. We're asking for prayer that God would connect us with the birth mother He has chosen for us at His perfect timing and that we would have the financial provision needed when that match happens. We're praying for hearts that remain patient, faithful, and trusting throughout the waiting, and that our children would continue to be prepared and excited for their new sibling. We're also praying for the birth mother - that she would feel supported, loved, and at peace with her decision. Most importantly, we're praying that God's hand would be evident in every single step of this journey.

We will be donating $1 from every bag of coffee sold this month to the Erichsen's Connected Hearts Ministry fund and we'd love for YOU to partner with this family to adopt their precious child! You can donate directly to them through their Connected Hearts Ministry link, where 100% of the donation will be used for adoption-related expenses: https://give.connectedheartsministry.org/campaign/erichsen-family-adoption-fund/c760450